@deneuralyzer I agree with absolutemonkey on your chances, I think you have a pretty solid chance of making it into the program with good essays and your extracurriculars.
I think your math grades/GPA won’t significantly disadvantage you, since you show growth and especially since you have an A in AP Calc right now. I’m not sure if Cosmos considers ACT scores, but I hope they do since it’ll give me an advantage too ?
Applications are coming out soon! I’m currently only an 8th grader, but still looking to apply to some kind of science-y/engineer-y cluster. However, looking at different campuses and clusters, all of the ones I’ve found seem to have prerequisites that apply to high schoolers. Does anyone know of a campus/cluster that I could actually apply to? Also, being a middle schooler, I don’t exactly have very many/very good extracurriculars, and I know I have a very very slim chance of being accepted, so I want to make my essays extremely well written to increase my chances. Does anyone have any good tips on what to write in the personal statement and cluster choice essay (mainly the personal statement)? This is my first time writing an application essay, so I’m not entirely sure of the do’s and don’t’s. Thanks in advance for any help!
Some stuff about me:
And that’s about it. Do I have a shot at getting in this year? Which campuses/clusters would be better for me to apply to? Once again, thanks for any help, and good luck to everybody applying! 
What are your interests? From what I’ve seen, the cluster doesn’t matter (unless it’s Bio). The campus matters more.
Just a general tip from a 2019 COSMOS alum, bio clusters are strongest at Davis and Santa Cruz, engineering is great at San Diego, and from personal experience, math is fantastic (albeit extremely mind-bending) at Santa Cruz. All four campuses have their own charm and the above poster is correct in saying to elect the campus, and not the cluster, that alings with your interest. But overall, the program is SO worth it. DM me if you got questions.
Hi! I went to COSMOS last year at UCSC (computer networking and robotics, which I’m pretty sure isn’t a cluster anymore) and I also applied as a 9th grade girl. Looking at your very impressive stats, I would say your acceptance will rely on your essays. Good luck!
and reccomendations (though they weren’t a requirement last year due to strikes)
I am currently in Bio honor and Algebra 2 (regular,not honor but will be moved to math honor class next year).
My question is for the teacher recommendation should I use my Bio honor teacher and my math teacher (not honor class) or should I use my Bio honor teacher and my English honor teacher? Will the fact my math is not honor class impact my chance of admissions ? I am in all honor/AP classes except for math. Thanks!
@cactusfloweroc I think it depends on which clusters you are taking. Like if it’s a math one, as long as you know you will get a positive letter of rec from the math one, I would use bio and math. But if it’s a science one, you can choose either combination.
I hope that helps!
Thanks @absolutemonkey. I am interested in the Bio or Bio Engineering cluster. I know for sure all my teachers will give me positive recommendations.
Does COSMOS accept any out-of-state students? Since it seems like it’s geared towards California students, I was wondering if it’s worth shooting my shot at it.
They do, just very, very few. You probably have to be in the top of the applicant pool if you’re out-of-state. We had less than 8 OOS kids last year.
Does anyone know how competitive Cluster 4: Intro to Astrophysics in UCD is?
By the way, if any of you guys have questions about applying to COSMOS or the experience in general, feel free to message me (I’m not familiar with CC, because im new, but if there’s some form of PM, use that, else just reply to me or something). I can also provide a link to the COSMOS discord server, which has over 200 alum from various campuses and clusters, who are open to answering your questions.
one thing to keep in mind is that since ucsc is literally located in a forest, you dont have easy access to outside food and entertainment (i heard at davis you could go off campus and eat out) and you can’t go anywhere without an adult. however, the views at ucsc, especially the field in the morning, are gorgeous 
Hello! I’m a high school Junior trying to apply to COSMOS. I’m honestly really worried and confused; I’ve applied and been rejected from the program twice now and I’m not sure what to do this year. My grades and EC’s are pretty good (4.0 uw all 3 years, 4.6 w this year, and strong leadership positions in robotics, gwc and several service clubs) so I think my essays must be really poor. I’d appreciate any help you could offer - even just sharing some of your essays so I can get an idea of what mine should look like would be incredible.
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Hello I’m a high school junior wanting to apply to UC Irvine’s cosmos. The main reason as to why is because my school sucks in STEM related activities and it doesn’t offer the same AP’s as the other schools in the district. Does anyone know how competitive cluster 1 at Uc Irvine is? And I mean I’ll say my stats it’s not a big deal.
GPA:
UW-3.82
W-3.98
(My school doesn’t offer AP’s until junior year and you can only take like 2 or 3). Im in the top 8% of my class I think or higher I could be wrong.
For stem extra curriculums, my school doesn’t even offer anything so I have to search outside. What I have is I volunteer at a more of a clinic than hospital that deals with cancer patients
and
I was part of an internship that focused on investigating and informing people about the health barriers in my small community such as the lack of stable structures, lack of hospitals and employees, etc.
I just wanted to know if my chances in the cluster are good enough and if not plz tell me how I could excel heehe .
Does anyone know if personal statement needs to be STEM related or it is fine to write things non-STEM related? Is one better than the other?
How competitive are the marine bio clusters at UCSC?
Heard that UCSC is easier to get in compared to UCSD or UCD.
Does the campus really matter? While applying to UCs for college admissions, do they see the campus where you attended cosmos or the cluster you attended? Please suggest